cat's eye

• cat's-eye
• catseye

An allusion to the way a cat's eyes will appear to glow when illuminated in the dark. In mineralogy, a calque of French œil de chat.

cat's eye (countable and uncountable, plural cats' eyes or cat's eyes)

1. (countable, British, Ireland, New Zealand, Australia, usually in the plural) A retroreflective device placed on a road surface as a marking that can be seen even at night.
2. (countable) A glass marble with elongated colourful inclusions running through its axis.

   Synonym: cat-eye

3. A gemstone exhibiting chatoyancy.
4. (mineralogy) Cymophane (translucent yellow chatoyant chrysoberyl).
5. (countable, New Zealand) A sea snail, Lunella smaragda
6. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see cat,‎ eye.; the eye of a cat.

• cat-eyes